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When, where and how to see the Northern Lights in Sweden
To see the Northern Lights in Sweden you have to go to the northern part of the country, Swedish Lapland.
The vast emptiness of northern Sweden provides the best conditions for watching one of the most amazing natural spectacles.
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The Northern Lights, a natural phenomenon
The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are a natural phenomenon of lights dancing across the night’s sky between September and March. Colours range from greenish yellow to light blues and purples, and create formations that are ever-changing. The intensity and visibility of the Northern Lights are dependant on the location, light pollution and cloud coverage.
The best places in Sweden to see the Northern Lights
The far north of Sweden has many great places to watch the Northern Lights because there aren’t many cities polluting the area with light.
Abisko National Park
Abisko national park is one of the most famous places in the world to watch the Northern Lights in Sweden.
Its remote location, mostly cloud free skies, and the fact that there is almost zero light pollution, create the perfect conditions to watch the Northern Lights.
Aurora Lake Lapland
Hidden in a small town in the middle of Swedish Lapland is Aurora Lake Lapland, a family owned business focusing on authentic Swedish travel experiences.
When the sky is clear you can see the Northern Lights reflecting on the lake.
- Tip: either one of their 2 cabins offers a traditional Swedish sauna experience. You can stay warm while watching the Aurora dance across the lake.
Best time of year to see the Northern Lights in Sweden
The best time of the year to see the Northern Lights in Sweden is between September to March. It’s darker for longer periods of time which means the chances of seeing the Aurora are much better. Because of that, December and January are the perfect months to see the Northern Lights in Sweden.
Finding the Northern Lights - The best apps
It’s one thing to see the Northern Lights when they’re happening, but it’s another thing to know when and where that will be. Luckily there are great apps to help with that.
Aurora Alerts - Northern Lights forecast
This app is simply amazing! You get all the information you need, like up-to-date predictions, cloud cover forecast and even sunrise and sunset times.
You can also create lists of other locations than your current one, which comes in really handy if you’re planning a trip somewhere to see the Northern Lights.
In the free version of the app you get a 3-day forecast; if you get the paid version (2.79 USD) you can even unlock the 27-day forecast.
Tips for photographing the Northern Lights
The good news is, you don’t necessarily need a fancy camera to photograph the Northern Lights!
Most smart phones have amazing features that do just fine, for example Night Mode (or a similar low light alternative) or manual settings in Pro Mode.
One thing you’ll definitely need to capture the best Northern Lights images is a tripod. Since the lighting during the Aurora is already low, and the lights are moving constantly, your camera has to be as still as possible to take images without noise.
Read also: to get the most out of your smart phone camera check out my detailed photography eBook!
Some general (phone) camera settings that will help you to take the best Northern Lights photos include setting your camera to manual. That way you can adjust every little bit like ISO (1600 is a good start for Northern Lights photography), aperture (f-2.8), and shutter speed (20 seconds).
Just look at the photos below, I took them in the middle of the night with my phone (Huawei P30 Pro, Night Mode).
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Hi, I’m Nadine
Part-time traveler with full-time wanderlust.
I explore the world one weekend and one vacation at a time and share my experiences, travel and photography tips, and food recs on this blog.
I believe the answer to (almost) any question is traveling.
Have you tried it?
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